Artist | Violet Shum
Installation / Sculpture
Hong Kong
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About Violet Shum
Violet Shum Ka Wai, born in Hong Kong, early years follow a portrait artist Wong Kum for painting. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) degree from the RMIT University in 2003. She gained the VSC Freeman Foundation Asian Artists' Fellowship 2010-11 and in 2012, the finalists and the People's Choice Award of Cliftons Art Prize. In July 2013, she participated in an Artist-in-Residency Program at Arteles Center in Tampere, Finland. Shum have taken several roles cross graphic and art as well as the art educational projects and through an existence in the multi-dimensional fields to realize her values and aspirations.
Artist Statement: Natural scenery from handicraft
Looking at my multi-dimensional works: from Glorious Times: big scaled golden flowers made from barbed wire, to Plastic Swarms: grasshoppers made with waste plastic, and A! Project: sunflowers made with dried grass, it is not difficult to find some common traits in the way I present my works and use materials, and the evolution of my concepts. Most of my works reveal figurative natural products with flexible use of artefacts such as barbed wire, nylon strings and plastic bags, etc.
Most probably, many viewers would easily refer these artworks as a response to the Post Industry environment. Actually we often neglect the fact that Industrial Revolution didn't give too strong an impact to the artwork, except those commercial painting, for until now many artists still express themselves by painting stroke by stroke on the canvas.
In my works I replace some traditional art such as painting and wood carving with popular handicrafts that could earn a living such as weaving and tying. These handicrafts not only respond directly to the production mode of the present society, but also correspond to its paradox chemistry. On one hand these handicrafts and skills are still in current use, though not everyone knows how to do, yet they are still within reach in daily life. Many people think that they are the "latest" handicrafts. However, at the same time, these handicrafts are gradually diminishing.
When I use artefacts as materials in my work, I hope to bring the spectators from a high-tech society to a more humane environment. With the giant Flower Forest, I try to bring the audience into a hand-crafted nature, and seeing these works tangle with nature and the city.
CV
Solo Exhibition
2010 / Rhythms and Memories - Red Mill Gallery, Vermont Studio Center
/ Thorns and Roses - Shin Hwa Gallery
Group Exhibition
2014 / Ocean Art Walk 2014 - Stanley, Hong Kong
2013 / Side Show - Hameenkyro, Tampere
/ A! Project - Oil Street, Hong Kong
2012 / Cliftons Art Prize 2012 - Level 33, 9 Queen's Road, Central
/ "Beyond the Printing Screen"- New Gallery on Old Bailey
2011 / "Yes, the door is open"- JCCAC Gallery, Hong Kong
2010 / "90th anniversary of the birth of Elieen Chang painting competition" – Lam Woo International Conference Centre, HKBU
/ "If You Park Here" – B1-5 Shatin Galleria, Fotan
2009 / "R.O.A.D." Exhibition – Nerberg Artspace
/ "Rush" – JCCAC Gallery
2008 / "Art@SKMFE", A Recollection of Time – JCCAC Gallery
/ "My Developmental Path", JCCAC Pre-Opening Festivity, Thematic Exhibition Series – Shaw Campus, HKBU
2007 / "Poems of Flowers" – Visual Art Exhibition, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden
/ "Wong Kum & Evergreen Art Club Painting Exhibition" – Hong Kong Cultural Centre Exhibition Gallery
2006 / "LEAP-Local East-Kowloon Art in Progress" – Sing Win Factory Building
2005 / "Seem Real like unreal" – The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
2004 / "4th Dimension", Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) Graduation Show – The Pao Gallery, Hong Kong Art Centre
2003 / "Extended City", Painting Exhibition – Taikoo Place Exhibition Area
/ "8 Stretching Memories", Multimedia Visual Art Exhibition – Shanghai Street Artspace
/ "Residency Project for International Renowned Visual Artists – Xu Bing & Gao Minglu"
Group Exhibition for workshop participants on Hong Kong Art Centre, Pao Galleries
/ "Inseparable" , An Exhibition On Small Works – The Art School Learning Centre Galleries
2002 / "Green Show" - Painting Exhibition, The Art School Learning Centre Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre
/ "Kai Zha" Opening Studio Exhibition - Ming Pao Industrial Centre, Hong Kong
2001 / "More More Cha Cha", Exhibition of Paintings – The Art School Learning Centre Galleries
1994 / "Creative Dedication of Dragon" 20th Graduated Show, First Institute of Art and Design – Hong Kong Conversation and Exhibition Centre
Should you be interested in working with the artist, please contact us hello.mobart@gmail.com.
